MARINA'S THE ‘BOSS’ FOR ASEAN SCHOOLS GAMES

BUKIT Jalil Sports School (BJSS) principal Marina Chin, a former international hurdler, has been appointed the chef-de-mission for the Malaysian contingent for the Asean Schools Games (ASG) from July 12-22.

For Chin, it was a big responsibility as the carnival, catering for the Under-18 age group, will be held in the Klang Valley.

“It will be the same way as I handle BJSS. Discipline will be the priority. There will be no compromise on discipline. We will be initiating motivation sessions regularly,’’ said Chin.

Marina: We are working closely with the respective national sports associations.

The carnival involves 10 sports — athletics, swimming, hockey, netball, volleyball, basketball, sepak takraw, golf, badminton and gymnastics.

About 50% of the trainees are students of BJSS. Except for the sepak takraw team, the other teams will be based at BJSS. The sepak takraw squad is undergoing centralised training at the Bandar Penawar Sports School (BPSS) in Johor.

As most of the training squad members are students, Chin said she would not face any problems in monitoring the athletes.

“We are also working closely with the respective national sports associations. We need their assistance for preparing the teams.

“For instance, the Malaysian Golf Association (MGA) will be responsible for golf team; likewise the Malaysia Basketball Association is helping the boys and girls teams and the Badminton Association of Malaysia for badminton.

“The respective associations have their own training programmes,’’ said Chin.

The National Sports Council (NSC) is also involved in the preparation for the ASG. The gymnasts - both artistic and rhythmic - are in the NSC training programme.

As part of the preparation, the teams from all 10 sports will be taking part in competitions. The netball squad, under the guidance of Choo Kon Lee, are now involved in a league in Singapore and will be playing some friendly matches against South Africa. The team will also be playing in an international competition in Adelaide, Australia, in May.

In focus: The players going through strategic drills watched by Choo.

The hockey squad will be taking part in the National Junior League. With the support from the BJSS Parent-Teacher Association, the squad will be involved in a competition in Perth, Australia.

All the athletes in the training programmes will also be representing their respective states in the Malaysia Games (Sukma) and the Malaysian Schools Sports Council (MSSM) championships in June.

Chin said said the Sukma and MSSM championships would give them the opportunity to evaluate the trainees before naming the final teams for the ASG.